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Nigeria imposes offshore oil worker restrictions in coronavirus battle

Published 29/03/2020, 13:19

YENAGOA, Nigeria March 29 (Reuters) - Nigeria's petroleum
regulator has ordered oil and gas companies to reduce their
offshore workforce and move to 28-day staff rotations as part of
measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to a
circular seen by Reuters.
Health experts fear a widespread outbreak in Africa's most
populous country, which has about 200 million inhabitants, and
the country is keen to protect oil production, which provides
90% of much-needed foreign exchange.
A coronavirus case on an offshore rig could spread quickly
among workers and have a potentially devastating impact on
production.
Sarki Auwalu, director of the Department of Petroleum
Resources, said that only staff on essential duties would be
allowed to travel to offshore or remote locations.
"Non-essential staff currently at offshore/remote locations
should be withdrawn with immediate effect," he said in a
statement.
Nigeria, which has 97 confirmed coronavirus cases, has shut
international airports, closed all land borders and imposed
curbs on cargo vessels allowed to dock at its ports in an effort
to contain the outbreak.
Rivers State, in which Port Harcourt serves as the hub of
Nigeria's oil industry, closed its own borders to human traffic
this week.
Oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria have previously
said that the health and safety of workers was their top
priority.
Industry sources said that a number of oil companies had
already shifted from 14-day rotations to 28 days. Some are also
implementing a 14-day quarantine for workers before they leave
for rigs.
Oil prices have fallen by two thirds since the start of the
year, which has forced Nigeria to cut its budget and prompted
oil companies to reduce their spending plans.

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